One Night
by ninja-hamsters
Summary: Sam/Cam - Cam wakes up in a strange bed. Awkwardness follows.
1. Chapter 1

**ONE NIGHT - Chapter 1**

_Warning: mild language_

Cameron woke up with hair in his nose. The tickling as he breathed had eventually woken him up and he'd tried to move his head away, then he wished he hadn't when it felt like it was about to explode. He dropped his head back and groaned loudly, surprised when a soft moan replied him.

His eyes shot open at the sound, his arms and legs tensing. His vision was blocked by the hair, and even that was blurred. Locating his limbs, he found his left arm draped around a warm body in front of him, elbow resting in the dip of her waist, and his legs tucked in behind hers. _Ok_, he thought,_ don't remember getting here_. Cam raised his arm gently, trying to move away from his unexpected bed partner without waking her. He froze when she stirred, leaning back into him. Cameron swallowed. They were both naked. _Shit_. He paused but she hadn't woken up so he eased himself away from her, rolled and sat on the edge of the bed, blood hammering against his skull.

He located his underwear, slipping them on before taking in his surroundings. The sunlight coming through the window hurt his eyes but he continued dressing and glanced back at the blond in the bed, facing away from him, before leaving the bedroom to find some coffee.

The house was unfamiliar, but then he hadn't been in a woman's house for a long time. _Depressing_ he thought as he tried to count the months his dry spell had stretched. Cameron stumbled through the hall to the kitchen, there were family photos hanging on the walls, but his head hurt when he tried to focus on them.

As the caffeine worked its magic on his hung-over body, Cameron decided to check out the house. He came across the photos again and stopped to study them. He looked at the first one and felt suddenly ill, his stomach yearning to give its contents back to the world. The picture was of a lake, with fields and mountains in the background. In the foreground was a small group of people. _You have got to be kidding me!_ Easily recognisable were the smiling faces of SG-1. Cam closed eyes tightly as if trying to wish himself away, muttering curses his grandma would have scorned him for.

Cameron stood there for a few minutes, torn between returning to Sam's room and explaining the situation to her, and running the hell away. As a gentleman, he should face this and be there when she woke up. But the side of him that wanted to keep his job, and stay in the Air Force, was telling him to leg it.

Finishing the last dregs of his coffee, he settled on the compromise. The coward's way out. Finding a pen and some paper by the phone, Cam scribbled a note saying that he had to leave and left it under his used mug on the kitchen counter.

Pulling on his boots, he stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up. He took a deep breath and let himself out.


	2. Chapter 2

**ONE NIGHT – Chapter 2**

"So how was it after we left?" Vala asked the next morning in the commissary. She and Daniel had left the club quite early, and Teal'c not long after, as he had to get back to the base, leaving Sam and Cameron.

Cam had gone straight from Sam's house to the base and had been quietly eating his breakfast when Vala had bounced over to join him. Cameron paused in his cereal-shovelling to answer.

"We drank a little too much, I don't really remember leaving. Then I woke up this morning in my bed with a stinking headache," _Nothing wrong with a little white lie. _He smiled bleakly at her over his raised spoon, and she returned a wide smile, "What?"

She took a small bite from her slice of toast and tried to look innocent. "Nothing. I just would assume you wouldn't have gone home alone, that's all. A handsome man like you," She closed her eyes as she took another bite, missing the uncomfortable shift Cam made in his chair.

"Hey Mitchell!" Daniel said happily, a little loud a little too close to Cam's sensitive ears, making him wince. _Sympathy! Please!_

Daniel sat next to him, opposite Vala and flashed her a friendly smile. She raised an eyebrow at him and, judging by Daniel's reaction, rubbed her leg against his under the table.

Cameron groaned and turned back to his breakfast. He didn't realise Sam had joined them until Vala spoke.

"Well, Mitchell's night was a bust. What about yours?" Cameron looked up. She was sitting opposite him with her own bowl of cereal. _Shit_, he thought,_ what if she actually remembers it was me?_ Cam was puzzled why he hadn't thought about that earlier. _Shit shit shit_.

Sam smiled at her. "Well, I didn't go home alone,"

Vala made a squeak and flung her arms around Sam. When she broke the embrace she held on to her shoulders and looked her right in the face. "Tell me. Who was it?"

Cam held his breath and stared into his bowl. _Shit shit shit_.

"Oh, come on Vala. You probably won't know him," She turned herself away and took a spoonful of cereal. Vala looked a little dejected and leaned her arms on the table. Sam glanced at Cam hunched over his breakfast, not moving, "Cameron? Are you Ok?"

He straightened up suddenly, "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied casually and eating another mouthful of cereal. "But come on, Sam. You know Vala knows pretty much all the guys around here," _What the hell am I doing? _Vala brightened and nodded in eager agreement. Daniel shot her an annoyed look, which she ignored.

Sam stared at him. _Oh God, she remembers_. Then she sighed, Cam couldn't tell if it was a happy or disappointed sigh. He didn't know which one he'd prefer.

She smiled a little shyly, "To be honest, I don't actually know who he was,"

Vala gasped dramatically, "Oh Samantha! How could you at least not get his name?"

Sam shook her head, "I didn't even remember his face properly," she said quietly, head bowed slightly.

Daniel stared at her in shock, "How did I not have you down as that kind of girl? How long have I known you?"

Sam glared at him, "Well, it's not like I make a habit of it,"

"So you don't remember him at all?" Cameron asked. He could tell his tone wasn't quite right for a casual question, but he couldn't tell if the others noticed.

"No," she sighed, "I don't remember leaving the club. I just remember being at home, and having an amazing night," she shook her head and frowned, "It's all a bit blurred. By the time I woke up, he was gone. Left me a note. No name, no number,"

Daniel sighed heavily and raised his arms into the air, "See _that's _the kind of guy who ruins the reputation of all the rest of us,"

Cameron spun his head round quickly to glare at him, but groaned as the motion was met with dizziness.

"Aw, poor Mitchell," Vala reached over the table to pat his head but he batted her hand away, "Our little flyboy didn't get any last night," she explained to Sam.

Sam smirked, "Really? He had enough girls after him all night,"

Cam looked up at her._ What? Why couldn't I have left with some anonymous chick?_ "I did?"

"Yeah, but don't worry. I think I scared them away," her eyes twinkled, "And you didn't seem to mind that. I'm surprised you even let some guy take me home,"

Cam's face flushed red and he stood up sharply, ignoring the fact the room was spinning sickeningly around him, and strode towards the door. _She knows! She must remember!_

He'd only got as far as the next table when he heard Vala's voice, deliberately loud enough for him to hear, "Don't worry, he's just jealous you managed to get a one night stand and he didn't," _Damn you, Vala_.


	3. Chapter 3

**ONE NIGHT – Chapter 3**

_Why couldn't you just stay? Face it; you're no less screwed now than you would be if you had. _Cam was walking aimlessly round the corridors, staring at the floor, wringing his hands and muttering incoherently to himself. _She remembers. She sounded like she knew it was me. She was so obviously lying about not remembering. I'm screwed. We're screwed. I'll get kicked out. I-_

Cameron's thoughts were cut short when he turned a corner and found his head connecting with Sam's, her breasts in his line of sight.

"Oh! Hi Sam," he said, stepping back quickly, eventually braving to look her in the eye. She smiled, a little confused at his behaviour.

"Hey, Cameron," she replied amiably, "I just want to say thanks for last night," S_hit, I knew it!_ "Yeh, I really needed just to get out of the base, you know, unwind," He_y, it's the least I could do_ "It's been a while since I've been out to a club with the team,"_ Yes. Of course. The club._

She smiled up at him, put her hand on his shoulder and went to walk past him. Cam grabbed her wrist before he knew what he was doing, and when he saw the confused, questioning look in her eyes, anything he had ready to say left his mind.

"Sam," He started, expecting the rest to follow. When it didn't, he smiled sheepishly and let go of Sam's wrist. He swallowed. "Tell me about your hot night?" he said and wiggled his eyebrows. _What the hell am I doing?_

Sam blushed, "I told you. I don't remember much of it."

"Well, was it good?" _WHAT?!_

"Cam!" she said and playfully punched his shoulder, then sighed, "As a matter of fact, yes, it was good. I'm sure if I'd been a little less completely out of it, or if he'd left a number, or even a name, I might have given him a call," _Why did I want to know that? I really didn't need to know that. That doesn't help._

Cameron smiled, unsure of how to respond to that little gem of information, "Thanks," _Yeh, good reply. Nice one._ "We should talk about this more often,"

Sam's eyes widened then she smirked, "As soon as your dry spell ends, yeah?" She turned away and continued on her way.

_That was below the belt. But it looks like I'm safe._

--

Cameron had only just sat down to start the rare occurrence of actually doing his paperwork when Daniel sat heavily on the chair on the opposite side of his desk. He folded his arms on the desktop and cocked his head as he regarded Cam.

"You lied," he said simply.

"What?"

"You didn't go home alone last night," Cam put his pen down and met Daniel's eyes.

_Damn it, Jackson, you're good. _"And what would make you think that?" he asked calmly.

Daniel smirked. "You don't last long on this team if you can't read between the lines. Interpret body language, tone of voice. Fit pieces together, say, like what happened at the end of a drunken night out-"

"Jackson! Where are you going with this?" Cam sounded a little more stressed than he'd wanted. _Calm down, man. You're supposed to be innocent, remember?_

Daniel was suddenly serious, "You can't just screw her and leave, Mitchell, it doesn't work like that,"

Cam was taken aback, his mouth hanging open. "I don't know what conclusions you've come to from your 'interpretations', Jackson," he said through gritted teeth, "but I did _not_ just screw and leave. I'm not a wham, bam, thank you ma'am kinda guy," he sighed, "If anything, I'm more in the dark about what happened than she is," _In a way, at least_.

Daniel frowned and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, "And what do you mean by that?"

Cam sighed again and bowed his head briefly. "If you must know, I woke up this morning with a pounding head ache, and no memory of how I got into that house, in that bed, with that woman. I didn't even know it was Sam until I saw the photos in her hall,"

Daniel sat there in silence for a moment, thinking it over. "You still left,"

"I wrote her a note,"

"Without your name on it!" _Yeah, I know that, thanks._

"Do you seriously want me to lose my job? Get me kicked out the Air Force?" _Knowing you, Jackson, I wouldn't put it past you._

Daniel huffed a laugh and a weird smile crossed his face, "Is that what this is all about?" _Shouldn't that be what this is all about?_ "You are aware what team you're on? And what ranks you two are?"

Cameron frowned and pouted. _Why didn't anyone tell me this?_ "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Daniel laughed and stood up, "You really are the new guy, aren't you?" _Maybe_ "Just go talk to her, Ok? Explain it," he waved his hand indicating 'or whatever' and walked out the office.


	4. Chapter 4

**ONE NIGHT – Chapter 4**

Cam knew where to find her. Where he always found her. _Jackson better not have been messing with me! Or my life is well and truly over._

He rounded the last corner and walked with a strange confidence into Sam's lab. She was at a desk hunched over some alien gizmo, typing occasionally at the laptop to her right.

"Hey Sam," Cam drew up a stool and sat opposite her, so she could talk to him while not stopping working. He knew her well enough, or rather he'd stopped her working enough times to know where to sit.

She looked up at him briefly and smiled before returning to the gizmo. "Hey Cam,"

_Ok. All I have to do is tell her it was me. Easy. Then I just need to explain that I left her this morning with only an anonymous note because- what? Because I didn't want to lose my job? I didn't want _her_ to lose _her_ job. Yeah that's better. A totally selfless act. I wanted to stay, of course. Because I'm a proper Southern gentleman-_

"Cam?" Sam was staring at him, "Are you sure you're Ok? You seem distracted," _Distracted? How can you tell?_

"Dinner?" He blurted. _Smooth. Real smooth._

Sam blinked and Cam blushed a little.

"Would you like to get some dinner tonight? Or tomorrow? Or whenever?" Cameron shrugged awkwardly, trying to be nonchalant.

"Cam-"

"It's Ok if you can't – or don't want to. It's fine-" Cam interrupted.

"Cam, listen. Last night was amazing. But I really need to catch up on some projects for the next few days,"

Cam stared at her. _'Last night was amazing'? There's no way she's talking about the nightclub this time. What was it Jackson said? 'You don't last long on this team if you can't read between the lines'? Is that what I'm doing? Or is that what she's been doing all day?_

Cam narrowed his eyes at her. "You know, don't you?" he asked. _Vague. Good. Optional retreat. Escape route marked._

Sam sighed and sat back in her stool. "Yes, Cam, I know that it was you who came home with me last night. I also know, funnily enough, that you left before I woke up this morning, leaving me a note with no name. I know you were worried about the frat. regs. and probably thought you were protecting me, as well as saving yourself,"

_Wow_. "So you've been stringing me along all day?"

"You didn't know the rules don't apply to us. I didn't want to tell you because it's awkward. I know. I've been there," _Three guesses who with._

There was silence for a moment or two. "So. Dinner?"

_END_


End file.
